GK and Current Affairs Updates

The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully conducted proof firing tests of Armament system for 155 mm x 52 calibre New Advanced Towed Artillery Artillery Gun System (ATAGS). 
•    The tests were conducted as part of technical trials at Proof & Experimental Establishment (PXE) in Balasore, Odisha. 
•    ATAGS is fully indigenously built towed artillery gun system undertaken in mission mode by DRDO as a part of artillery modernisation programme of Indian Army. 
•    Pune based Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) is the nodal laboratory of DRDO for design and development of ATAGS along with collaboration of other DRDO laboratories. 
•    The Armament system of ATAGS mainly comprises a barrel, muzzle brake, breech mechanism and recoil mechanism to fire 155 mm calibre ammunitions.
•    It has a longer firing range of 40 Kms with accuracy and precision and provides greater fire power. It is also has night firing capability in direct fire mode. 
•    ATAGS has been configured with all electric drive in order to ensure maintenance free and reliable operation over a longer period of time.

Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi was on 14 July 2016 appointed as the Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for a five-year term. The post had been lying vacant since December 2014.
•    Until now, Joint Secretary of the Union Human Resource Development Ministry Y S K Seshu Kumar was holding the additional charge of Chairman of the CBSE.
•    Chaturvedi was appointed after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) decided that CBSE Chairperson will be appointed through Central Staffing Scheme and not through Search-Cum-Selection Committee method.
•    Chaturvedi is a 1987- batch IAS officer from Madhya Pradesh cadre. Chaturvedi has wide-ranging experience in the revenue and commerce departments. However, he has never worked in the education sector. 
•    Chaturvedi's appointment came just after the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) rejected former Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani's choice Sarvendra Vikram Bahadur Singh for the crucial post and divested the Ministry of the power to send a panel of names for the appointment.
•    This was the second time that the name of CBSE chairperson recommended by HRD ministry has been rejected by the ACC.
•    In early 2015, a search-cum-selection committee had sent the name of Satbir Bedi for the post of Chairman of CBSE, but DoPT rejected him as well on the grounds that he didn't fulfil the basic qualification of having been education administrator for three years.

During the course of meetings and seminars held in different parts of the country, various stakeholders have expressed concern that the time period available under the Scheme up to 30th November, 2016 for making payment of tax, surcharge and penalty is very short, especially where funds in liquid form are not readily available with the declarants.
•    It has also been mentioned that for making payment by 30.11.2016, the declarants may have to opt for distress sale of the assets.
•    
Taking into consideration the practical difficulties of the stakeholders, the Government has decided to revise the time schedule for making payments under the Scheme as under: 
•    
(i) a minimum amount of 25% of the tax, surcharge and penalty to be paid by 30.11.2016; (ii) a further amount of 25% of the tax, surcharge and penalty to be paid by 31.3.2017; and (iii) the balance amount to be paid on or before 30.9.2017. 
•    A Notification to this effect shall be issued shortly. 

The Union Government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 14 July 2016 signed a 100 million US dollars loan agreement to strengthen key irrigation and drainage system and improve water management in the Vennar sub-basin of the Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu.
•    The financing will be used to strengthen embankments of six major irrigation water channels in the Vennar system and rehabilitate 13 irrigation pumping schemes. 
•    The project aims to improve existing infrastructure and will provide flood protection and renewed access to irrigation.
•    Flood forecasting and warning systems will be installed and a flood risks map drawn up to help communities respond more effectively to extreme events.
•    The Water Resources Department of the State of Tamil Nadu is responsible for implementing the project.
•    The loan from ADB’s ordinary capital resources has a 25-year term.
•    The project is expected to be completed by December 2020.

•    The Fifth SIT report has been submitted before the Hon’ble Supreme Court by the SIT. An extract of the report has been uploaded on Department of Revenue website www.dor.gov.in.
•    The SIT has made the following recommendations in the Fifth Report:
•    The SIT has felt that large amount of unaccounted wealth is stored and used in form of cash. Having considered the provisions which exist in this regard in various countries and also having considered various reports and observations of courts regarding cash transactions the SIT felt that there is a need to put an upper limit to cash transactions. 
•    Thus, the SIT has recommended that there should be a total ban on cash transactions above Rs. 3, 00,000 and an Act be framed to declare such transactions as illegal and punishable under law.
•    The SIT has further felt that, given the fact of unaccounted wealth being held in cash which are further confirmed by huge cash recoveries in numerous enforcement actions by law enforcement agencies from time to time, the above limit of cash transaction can only succeed if there is a limitation on cash holding, as suggested in its previous reports. SIT has suggested an upper limit of Rs. 15 lakhs on cash holding. 
•    Further, stating that in case any person or industry requires holding more cash, it may obtain necessary permission from the Commissioner of Income tax of the area.

In the august presence of Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu in a programme held today at Rail Bhawan today i.e. 14th July, 2016 an agreement was signed between Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited and Bansal Group for the redevelopment and modernization of Habibganj Railway Station located in Bhopal, M.P. 
•    The Habibganj station would now be the first station to be redevelopment and this station is one of the eight such railway stations which have been allocated to IRSDC by the Ministry of Railways.  
•    Minister of State for Railways & Minister of State for Communication (Independent Charge) Shri Manoj Sinha was specially present to grace the occasion. Chairman, Railway Board, Shri A. K. Mital, Member Engineer Shri A.K. Mittal and other Railway Board Members, several other dignitaries and senior officials were among those present on the occasion.
•    Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that this is a historic moment for the Indian Railways to witness this ceremony as it is a result of persistent hard work of the Railway Officers. Many more stations redevelopment are in pipeline such as Surat, Gandhinagar(Gujarat) and Bijwasan & Anand Vihar (Delhi) in collaboration with the State Governments. 
•    Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Railways & Minister of State for Communication (Independent Charge) Shri Manoj Sinha said that railway is an organization which first has to earn to provide facilities to its passengers. 
•    Railways has given directions to complete the station redevelopment work as soon as possible so that the passengers can avail world class facilities. 
•    A passenger’s travel experience right from the beginning of purchasing tickets and getting out of the railways station needs to be development. In a few months Railway is planning to have 20-30 such agreements.  

14.13 lakh LPG connections have been released to women of BPL families under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is an ambitious social welfare scheme of Narendra Modi Government launched on 1st May 2016 from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh.

•    The scheme is currently under operation in 487 districts of 17 states.
•    Attention of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural gas has been drawn to a number of fake website which have come up on the internet on the recently launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. 
•    The official website of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is www.pmujjwalayojana.com. 
•    General public and other stakeholders are requested to consult only the official website for any attention information with regard to the Ujjwala Yojana. 
•    In case of any doubt or clarification about the Scheme, the consumers of Ujjwala Yojana may like to use the toll free number 18002666696.

In a demonstration of India’s ‘Act East’ policy and Indian Navy’s increasing footprint and operational reach, Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri, Shakti and Kirch under the Command of the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, Rear Admiral S V Bhokare, YSM, NM have arrived at Port Kelang today 15 Jul 16 on a four day visit, as part of deployment of the Eastern Fleet to the South China Sea and Western Pacific. 
•    During the visit, the IN ships will have professional interaction with the Royal Malaysian Navy towards further enhancing co-operation between the two forces. 
•    In addition, calls on senior Government and military authorities, sporting and cultural interactions and sharing of best practices, aimed at strengthening ties and mutual understanding between the two Navies, are also planned. 
•    The visiting IN ships are also likely to conduct exercises with the Royal Malaysian Navy, aimed at enhancing interoperability in communication as well as Search and Rescue procedures, post departure from Port Kelang.
•    Bilateral relations between India and Malaysia are characterised by strong bonds of friendship based on cultural, religious and economic ties between South India and the Malay Peninsula over two millennia. 
•    Economic and commercial relations are the mainstay of India-Malaysia relationship. Malaysia is the third largest trading partner of India from ASEAN. India-Malaysia defence ties dates back to the colonial days when troops of Madras Native Infantry served in Malacca, Singapore and Penang. 
•    Currently, there is considerable naval cooperation between the two countries bolstered by regular reciprocal port visits, high-level delegations and training exchanges. 
•    The Indian Navy has been a regular participant at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) in Malaysia. The last visit by an IN ship Malaysia was in May 2015, when Saryu berthed at Penang.

The total sown area as on 15th July, 2016 as per reports received from States, stands at 559.76 lakh hectare as compared to 548.38 lakh hectare at this time last year.
It is reported that rice has been sown/transplanted in 123.93 lakh ha, pulses in 71.07 lakh ha, coarse cereals in 105.98 lakh ha, oilseeds in 130.12 lakh ha, sugarcane in 45.78 lakh hectare and cotton in 75.41 lakh ha.The details of the area covered so far and that covered during this time last year are given below:
 Crop    Area sown in 2016-17    Area sown in 2015-16
Rice    123.93    122.99
Pulses    71.07    51.12
Coarse Cereals    105.98    101.45
Oilseeds    130.12    127.13
Sugarcane    45.78    44.80
Jute & Mesta    7.47    7.67
Cotton    75.41    93.22
Total    559.76    548.38
 Kharif crops are harvested during the rainy season in the South Asia, which lasts between April and October depending on the area. Main kharif crops are millet and rice.

Union Government on 13 July 2016 started the operation 'Sankat Mochan' to evacuate its citizens stranded in South Sudan's capital Juba. 
•    Two C-17 military transport aircrafts have been pressed in service to make the evacuation.
•    The operation being undertaken by Indian Air Force (IAF) will be headed by Minister of State for External Affairs General (Retd.) VK Singh.
•    The Indian Ambassador in South Sudan Srikumar Menon and his team is organising this operation on the ground. 
•    Indian Embassy in Juba in an advisory had communicated that all the stranded Indian citizens should get in touch immediately with the embassy to avail the facility.
•    The evacuation flight route will be Juba-Kampala-Trivandrum- Delhi. Passengers willing to de-board at Trivandrum will be allowed to do so.
•    V.K.Singh is leading the operation.